Nice vids. I love dragon battles!
The Ravager is tough, and she gets tougher the closer you get to beating her. She can be down to barely any health left and put up full guard and summon her babies (where they're hiding I have no clue....it's not like they jump down from above....or do they? 
).
Unlike Blackwall, Maya had looked forward to the Empress's Ball. Civil war was bad for business, legit or otherwise. If there was a chance to settle the Orlesian conflict, she'd give it her best shot. If she happened to save the Empress from Coryphish's assassin while she was at it, even better. Who knows, maybe there'd be a reward?
Grand Duke Gaspard met the Inquisition at the gate. Maya was favorably impressed. He seemed like a straightforward soldierly type, despised the Game, refused to wear a mask. Maya didn't like masks either, well, not if everyone wore them. How is an honest thief supposed to know the marks from the other thieves if everyone wears a mask?
Maya looked around and asked, "Where's the other dwarf?"
"What other le dwarf?" the Duchess asked.
"The one whose shoulders I'm supposed to stand on," Maya said.
Florence laughed and assured Maya that no other dwarf was necessary, the Inquisitor was formidable enough. Flattery, eh? Well two could play at that game. Maya set to work playing The Game to the hilt, scoring plenty of points with the nobility (about 100, but who's counting?)
Still working my way through Descent. Thought about stopping after the big darkspawn battle but kept going instead. Now Sam and crew are at the final camp, about to discover something amazing. And confusing.
Difficulty hasn't been too bad, actually. I traded out Dorian for Cass for more defense and I think that worked in my favor. Other than nasties with a million hit points, the toughest enemies have been hurlocks with guard that doesn't like to go away. Sam's daggers make short work of the bolters, so if he can avoid their arrows they aren't much of a problem.
I'm finding all kinds of high level gear that I can't use yet since the party is only level 17. I was so excited to get that uber dagger dropped by the alpha ogre but I can't use it until I'm level 21. Booo. Also put a master spirit rune on Isana's Song for Solas but nope....can't use it. 
Plan to finish up tomorrow, then head to Emerald Graves.
I'm at a crossroads with Maya's run, not sure which way to go. After finishing Abyss and WEWH, I usually go right into Pride in the Arbor Wilds, but in the name of breaking new ground with this run, I want to do something different. I haven't even opened the Fallow Mire, Emerald Graves or Hissing Wastes yet (nor the Exalted Plains, but ick, that I don't mind skipping altogether ... although I've only done the death-laser Citadelle du Corbeau once and I remember it being kind of fun). There's also stuff left undone in the Western Approach, in Crestwood, in The Storm Coast, and even in Val Royeaux. Although I probably won't do the Calpernia side quest, again in the name of doing something different. I haven't always avoided the battle with Calpernia, but I've always done her side quest to have the option. Not this time.
Maya is xp level 16, so just about everything is viable. Even JoH, though I don't think I'll go there. Descent is a real possibility. There's the dwarf angle, and the great loot, and the large mobs to try Artificer tricks and traps on. If not Descent, probably Emerald Graves. Even though the EG quests don't have any connection to anything, they are fun. I might do some Hissing Wastes farming before or after. Maybe, maybe, maybe. So many choices!
To my horror, i discovered that Vivienne had been chosen as the new Divine. (I was hoping that she wouldn't have been chosen (Regardless of points) since i never mentioned to her about putting her name in the race.
That happened to me in my first playthrough. Actually I found it quite satisfying to disband the Inquisition in Trespasser and leave her to her own devices while chasing after Solas...To my horror, i discovered that Vivienne had been chosen as the new Divine. (I was hoping that she wouldn't have been chosen (Regardless of points) since i never mentioned to her about putting her name in the race.
Yesterday, Kiri went to the Arbor Wilds for What Pride Had Wrought
Yes, that is part 1, but I'm gonna skip part 2 - 4, so here have some filler pics 
After WPHW Kiri talked to everyone and actually I had planned on putting all those conversations in one video, but somehow my video editting programm decided to squish the format, even tho I set it to 1280x720
So I decided to only upload the conversation with Solas
Hidden because of Romance spoilers
Sam finished up the main quest in Descent, then opened up all the operations so he could go back to scavenge and open the last two gate doors. Now he is waiting for Cullen's team to find some silverite before heading back to Skyhold. I really wish Cullen wasn't the only advisor able to do those gathering missions....if you want to do all 3, it's an hour and a half time investment. Or, make them doable from Skyhold (like "A Cry in the Dark" is) so you don't have to keep going back to WT number 2.
As for the end boss fight, everyone except Blackwall face-planted. Then, killing it off bumped Sam to level 18 so everyone got all their health restored. 
Eldrida's story is done. I must say I enjoyed Josephine's romance more than Cassandra's, but Sera remains my favourite. Some have said that they feel that a romance with someone who sin't a companion lessens the experience, but I liked the moments with Josie where she was worried whether the Inquisitor would come back safely. That was a nice change of pace from the usual romances
Now... with Josephine I managed to get (softened) Leliana as divine for the first time. I must say that this is definitely my prefered outcome, so the question then becomes, should I try to recreate my canon Seramancing elven mage Tressa but aiming to give Leliana the sunburst throne (she got Vivienne as I mentioned above) or should I create a whole new character with the aim of her being my definitive canon? I've a lot of good feelings for Tressa but I kind of want to start aftesh, too...
OK so I decided not to copy-paste Tressa, but to make a new Lavellan. She's not too dissimilar looking (pale skin and red hair) but she's distinctive enough. Her name is Conwenna, It's a Cornish name like Tressa, but this one means something like "holy wolf" which I couldn't pass up knowing who Solas is. She will be his conscience and try to turn him from his dread path!
She's going to ally with the mages to ensure that Leliana is Divine, which will make the romance with Sera that much more difficult, but I like a challenge!
Freya and her companions went to the Shrine of Dumat, where they found the reason Corypheus doesn't want Calpernia there. He had captured a magister, the former master of Calpernia. Freya learned more about Corypheus's plans and ended the magister's suffering.
On their way back they made a stop at Val Royeaux and Freya met up with Josephine to talk to this noble. Turned out Josephine is in trouble. An old contract from a rival family enabled the so-called House of Repose, a group of assassins, to hunt Josephine down because she tries to reinstate her family in Orlais. Back at Skyhold, Freya agreed with Josephine's way of a slow and long elevation of the rival family to nullify the contract. She trusted Josephine knows what she's doing, even if that means Freya has to meet up with more nobles...
Freya made the rounds and talked to Leliana, who was not happy Freya had ended the magister's pain, Dorian and Cassandra. The evening took a fun turn when Sera talked Freya into some pranks on her advisors.
The plan now was to travel through the Exalted Plains, gaining more allies and power on the way in order to deal with this plot against Empress Celene. Freya also wanted to learn more about the civil war there. Scout Harding had told Freya that a Dalish clan was around here somewhere, and seeing the first few halla in the Plains reminded Freya of her clan. She hoped they were alright. Here however, the war had done a lot of damage to the land and the companions continued their way to help with a recent outbreak of undead creatures, which had caused both Celene's and Gaspard's soldiers to stop fighting each other. She didn't know what was worse, people killing each other or undead claiming the land. She hoped to put an end to both of it.
Had great banter today between Bull and Solas, the first was really heartwarming and the second was so... typically Bull 
Spent over 60,000 coins on herbs for tonics/potions/grenades upgrades.
Kiri finally went to the Frostback Basin
Her taking Bull to the Basin was a great idea, got a funny conversation between him and Harding "CHAAAAOOOS!"
Later Blackwall and Varric talked about Blackwall being in love with Josie. First time I got their romance to trigger. (which could be, because in my first PT I romanced Josie and in my second I rarely took Blackwall anywhere 
)
Then I switched the team to Varric, Cole and Solas and got the banter between Cole and Solas about Kiri's Vallaslin (or more that it's gone)
Idk she's still pretty
Then I had a fight with a Rift on the River, the whole team kept dying. Turns out Varric was still wearing a Lvl 16 armor 
Anyway, after crafting a better armor at Skyhold, the group went back to the Basin and I thought I record the Revenge. What I didn't know was that I was recording the whole time. I had a 5 hour video with everything, except the Rift fight.
So I decided to record the fight vs the mage who's possessed by a Rage Demon.
Catching up on things back at Skyhold.
For Varric's WT sequence, I ended up going with Cullen (it's just a work of fiction) instead of Leliana (it's a code) and got this as the final result. I think I might have to do it this way more often since the letter from Aveline is golden.
Despite investing several days in planning an expedition to the Emerald Graves, Maya ended up stuck in Skyhold seeing to everyone else's issues.
Cullen was feeling better. Maya had demanded that he stay the course on his rehab when he was ready to break, but he held it together and is much better for it. Maya actually caught Cullen smiling.
Mother Giselle campaigned for Cassandra to be elected Divine. Maya tried to talk Cass out of it, she was too useful as an advisor and demon-slayer. Maya's own campaign to put Leliana on the throne wasn't going so well. Allying with the Templars had an unexpected consequence of strengthening Cass's claim to the throne, at Leliana's expense.
Mother Giselle was also meddling in Dorian's affairs. She tried to get Maya to run a con on Dorian, but Maya refused. Maya liked the snarky Tevinter mage and ended up coming clean about a letter and secret meeting in Redcliffe Village. Turns out it was Dorian's father trying to mend fences. Maya urged Dorian to accept the olive branch and all's well that ends well.
Back at Skyhold, when Dorian asked what Maya thought of him, she said, "I think you're trouble." That was a setup to say, "I like trouble," just like his buddy Felix had said in a story Dorian had related earlier, but instead Dorian got all huffy and upset and Maya never got to give the punchline. (Editor's Note: this was a missed opportunity, Bioware -- I thought you were setting up that bit of callback, but you blew it!)
Vivienne needed the heart of some kind of beastie or critter or something. No doubt she was running low on pickled snail livers or whatever those Orlesians eat, or put in their hair, or both. Not a priority for Maya.
Sera had a bit of a surprise for Maya: a heart-to-heart talk on the roof of the Herald's Rest. Maya always thought Sere was a bit of a clown -- though a deadly one with a bow -- but a clown nonetheless, without a care in the world. But Maya learned that Sera had issues just like everyone else. Old wounds that up until now she just suffered with, but was now trying to heal, with Maya's help. Bouncing a few cookies off Cass's head made Maya's day.
I resurrected an abandoned playthrough with a mage, Tobias Trevelyan, as I wanted to play Champions of the Just. I've only ever done it once, mainly because I've romanced Dorian a lot and it always made sense to go to Redcliffe, but also because I had such a horrible time of it when I did choose the Templars with my DW elf.
I have never completely wiped so many times as I did that time fighting envy. I had gone into the mission blind, not knowing that it would have been a lot easier if I'd equipped her with a bow. I was playing on hard and there was no way I was turning down the difficulty. I made it in the end by getting my companions to follow themselves. They kept out of each other's hair and it worked quite well.
I used this strategy today with Tobias and it worked, although I understand specs better now and have better equipment. Anyway, I ramble. Some pics...
The fight. More of a what happened than a how to...
Just curious....Sam is my first male rogue (the other 2 were both female). Anyone else who's played a male rogue religiously avoid some of the armor types due to being....eh....a little too revealing in certain places? 
It really limits my options. I ended up making him some Griffon Armor, which actually doesn't look too bad (it's way better than the mage version). I just wish it had slots for arm/leg upgrades.
I'm trying to decide if my sword and shield inquisitor should become a templar, reaver or champion. I understand the Champion helps make a far more effective tank, but quite frankly I'm not sure I even need it. I practically soloed the Hinterlands dragon and never took any damage because of how fast I generate guard with him, but I also love the lore and the roleplay for it and I have never heard the Inquisitor's companions react to him being a champion.
Just curious....Sam is my first male rogue (the other 2 were both female). Anyone else who's played a male rogue religiously avoid some of the armor types due to being....eh....a little too revealing in certain places?
They do have quite tight trousers, if that's what you mean? Can't say it really bothered me.
That brings back the memories! On my first battle vs. Envy, I was also a DW elf, with Cassandra, Solas and Sera, on Hard. Used up all potions and grenades fighting the RT, so went in with only healing potions. I kept dying in the first minute over and over again. I finally gave up trying to control my IQ and instead controlled Solas. I set my IQ to Defend self and stuck him in a safe corner. He still died. Cass and Sera also went down. Solas was on his last few hitpoints, no healing left, getting ready to reload, when Cole landed a lucky backstab and put Envy down for good. Safe!I have never completely wiped so many times as I did that time fighting envy. I had gone into the mission blind, not knowing that it would have been a lot easier if I'd equipped her with a bow. I was playing on hard and there was no way I was turning down the difficulty. I made it in the end by getting my companions to follow themselves. They kept out of each other's hair and it worked quite well.
I ran a male elf DW. Since the hunter/prowler armors either have "skirts" or a long coat, I never noticed anything.Just curious....Sam is my first male rogue (the other 2 were both female). Anyone else who's played a male rogue religiously avoid some of the armor types due to being....eh....a little too revealing in certain places?
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